Breaking Nigeria Will Fuel Terrorism, Says Riley Moore

A United States lawmaker, Congressman Riley Moore, has warned that any attempt to destabilise or break up Nigeria would embolden terrorist groups and worsen security risks for Christians and other vulnerable communities, firmly rejecting calls for the balkanisation of the country.

Moore, who recently visited Nigeria on a fact-finding mission, said Nigeria’s unity remains critical to regional and global security, stressing that weakening the country would create dangerous opportunities for extremist groups to expand their influence. According to him, separatist agitations and external pressure to fragment Nigeria would not solve the country’s challenges but would instead deepen insecurity, particularly in the North and Middle Belt where terrorist violence has displaced thousands of people. There has been no serious conversation with Nigerians about dividing the country,” Moore said, noting that during his engagements with government officials, religious leaders, humanitarian workers and internally displaced persons, the focus was on improving security and humanitarian response, not dismantling the state. He cautioned that destabilising Nigeria would make Christians and other at-risk communities less safe, arguing that terrorist organisations thrive in weak and fragmented states. Moore added that a fractured Nigeria would have far-reaching consequences beyond its borders, worsening instability across West Africa. The U.S. lawmaker reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to working with Nigeria to tackle terrorism and insecurity, pointing to recent security cooperation agreements between both countries as evidence of continued partnership. Moore also called for sustained international support to address the root causes of violence, including poverty, displacement and weak local security structures, while urging Nigerians to resist narratives that promote division.